Pneumatic dispatch system



March 5, 1935. F. R. TAISEY 1,993,194

PNEUMATIC DI SPATCH SYSTEM Filed Jan. 28, 1932 I I 5 M Z /g. m f /g.

67 //v1/[/v70, E 1 fiery 2 74/55 Patented Mar. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES 1,993,194 PNEUMATIC DISPATCH SYSTEM,

Fred R. Taisey, Lowell, Mass, assignor to The Lamson Company, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 28, 1932, Serial No. 589,376

12 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in a pneumatic dispatch system and more particularly in the carrier for such system.

The carriers are of the usual well known construction including a barrel comprising an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged and relatively rotatable, each shell having an access opening in the side thereof, such opening being brought into or out of register by the rotation of the shells, and at each end of thebarrel a head and a flexible skirt the head and skirt at one endeach other preferably in such position that the 7 access openings are out of register and the contents of the carrier can not escape until it is desired to remove them.

A further object of this invention is to provide means by which the carriers can be readily sorted without examining the contents thereof, as for example, into various groups according to the destination of the carriers or according to the contents thereof. One way of so doing, previously practiced has been to color the heads of the carriers but it has been found that this treatment of the heads, particularly when, as is the usual custom, the heads are of felt, affects the wearing qualities thereof and necessitates more frequent replacements. Accordingly it is proposed to attain this result by making the barrel shells of fibre instead of metal, and to color the barrel shells to designate the contents of the carrier while the heads, contrary to the present practice, are uncolored.

Other objects of this invention will appear in 45 the following description and in the drawing which forms a part thereof and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a carrier embodying one form of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of such carrier;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the right end of the carrier shown in Fig.1, the various elements being shown separated and partly in section in order to demonstrate their structure and rela--. tion;

Fig. 5 illustrates elevation the lock plate at" the left end of the carrier shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional side view of one end of a 5 carrier embodying this invention having a different form of latching means from that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a cross section of the carrier shown in Fig. 6 taken on the line '77 therein;

Fig. 8 illustrates in elevation carr'iersythe bar-" rels of which are differently colored in accordance with one feature of this invention;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation of another form of lock plate;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary section form of cup member; and

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary section of-another form of washer.

The carrier disclosed in the drawing comprises 20 a barrel 10 at each end of which is mounted a skirt 1'1 and a head 12. The barrel 10' comprises an outer shell 15 and an inner shell 16, each having in its side wall an access opening designated as l? and 18 respectively. The shells are tele-' 25- of another 1 scopedi one over the other and are relatively rotatable so that when the openings 17 and 18 are in register access may be had to the interior of the barrel. The skirt and head at one end ofthe carrier are attached to the outer shell 15;-

whilethe skirt and headat the other end-are at .tached to the inner shell 16 so that the shells may be rotated by manipulating the heads.-

The'skirts' ll are'disks of rubber or other 'fiex ible material and are located between flanges at the ends of the shells and the heads 12. The heads each comprise a ring 20 of felt-or the like, a cup 21, surrounded'by' the ring, the edgeofthe cup entering a groove in the ring, and a washer 22 having outwardly projecting pins 23 which E enter the ring 20 and hold it in" the proper po'si- Y tion about the cup. Prongs' 24 projecting from a the edge of the cup 21 enter the body-of the head and prevent any relative rotation. V

The skirt 11 and head 12 are attac'hedto the shells by means of a lock plate 25, from which project lock pins 2 The lock plate 25 at the" right endof the carrier, shown in Figs. 1' and 4,

rests upon a spring cup 2-7 and the pins 26which 5 pass through suitably located openings in the plate and cup' are headed over to unite the plate and cup. The; spring cup 27 enters the end of the inner shell 16, and turns freely therein, while,

the lockplate 25 is provided ith tongues 28 which enter notches 29 in the flange of the outer shell 15, so that the plate and cup move in unison therewith. The lock pins 26 pass through openings 30 in the skirt 11 and openings 31 in the base of the cup 21 and have at their outer end notches 32 with which a lock spring plate 33 engages to secure the elements, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ends 34 of the spring plate 33 are arcuate (see Fig. 2) and extend substantially to the walls of the'cup 21. Adjacent one side of each end 34 is formed a recess 35 through which the lock pins 26 pass freely. Between each recess 35 and the other end 34 of the spring plate are provided curved projecting portions 36 which,

when the plate is rotated, enter the notches 32 of the pins 26. The portions 36 as shown in Fig.

4 are bent upwardly and downwardly out of the I plane of the body of the plate and bear against the base of the cup and against the outer walls of the notches 32 thus yieldably holding the head l2iagainst the'end' of the shell. A central slot 37 in the spring plate is adapted toreceive the end of the screw-driver or other instrumentality by which the spring plate is rotated. Bosses or depressions 38 in the ends 34 engaging corresponding depressions or bosses (not shown) in the base of the cup or other suitable means are provided to hold the spring plate in the locking position. In addition there may be employed at each end a cotter pin 39 which enters one of the re-' cesses 35 and positively prevents any shifting of the plate 33.

The spring cup 27 includes diametrically located bosses 40 which engage a block 41 secured to the inner wall of the shell 16 and thereby limit the relative rotation of the shells. In order to secure the shells against involuntary relative rotation when the access openings are closed a spring latch 42 is mounted upon the cup. The

latch is secured at one end to the wall of the cup and terminates at the other end in a projection 43 which, when the openings are closed, enters a notch 44 in the inner shell.

The skirt 11 and head 12 at the left end of 45,;the carrier shown in Fig. 1 is attached to the inner shell 16 by locking means similar in all respects to those previously described in detail and hence the same reference characters have been employed without further description. It

will be noted that the end of the inner shell is are used in a system which includes a separator that relies upon the presence of or absence of such depression, such as that shown in my prior Patent No. 1,218,910,-it is necessary that the depressions in the cups be closed as for example by 0 securing plugs therein. One such plug designated as 46 is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. For the purpose of securing the plugs holes 47 may be formed in the walls of the cups so that the plugs may be secured by cement which enters the head 65 12 through the holes 47.

In Figs. 6 and 7 is illustrated one end ofa carrier embodying this invention but provided with means for latching the carrier closed which differ from those previously described. The head 70 and skirt and the means for locking them in ing elements. A pin 50 projecting inwardly from the outer shell 15' engages recesses 51 in the walls of the side opening 18 in the inner shell 16' and thus limits the opening and closing movements of the shells. A strip 55 of spring metal is secured at one end to the inner wall of the shell 16' and carries at its other end a projection 56 which extends through an aperture 5'7 in the inner shell into contact with the outer shell 15'. In the outer shell 15' is formed an aperture 58 which receives the projection 56 when the carrier is closed and latches the shells in such position.

In using carriers it has been found that means should be provided by which the carriers may be sorted into groups according to their destinations or according to the character of their contents without the necessity of opening the carriers. Thus if the carriers are to be used for transporting three different kinds or classes of contents it is a great assistance to be able to recognize the carriers containing each kind or class. Heretofore this has been done by coloring the carrier shells of the carriers embodying this feature of the invention are of fibre which not only reduces the weight of the carriers but also can readily be colored to indicate the various classes of carriers. Thus as indicatedon Fig. 8, the carriers A, B and C differ in the colors of the barrels the barrel of carrier A being red, that of carrier B being blue and that of carrier Cv being green. The fibre shells are colored by painting, dipping or otherwise treating them and the colors, due to the fibrous composition or" the shells, enter the pores of the shells and are incorporated therein so that they are not removed or obliterated by handling. It will be understood that these colors were selected arbitrarily and that this invention is not in any way limited to the colors or the arrangement thereof here shown.

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 illustrate other forms of certain elements which may be employed in place of those previously described. The lock plate 60 shown in Fig. 9 differs from that shown and described as 25 in that the pins 61 have annular grooves 62 therein instead of the notches 32.

The cup 65 shown in Fig. 10 which may be used in place of that designated at 21 includes an annular flange 66 around each base opening 67. The prongs 68 projecting from the .edge of the cup, the base openings 67 and the openings 69 in the walls correspond in structure and function to the prongs 24, the base openings 31 and the openings 47 describedabove. In place of the washer 22 having outwardly projecting pins 23 the washer 70 may be used. The washer '70 is provided with an annular depression 71 and at the edge includes integral prongs 72 which function in the same way as the pins 23 to engage the felt head. I 7

While several forms of carriers embodying this invention have been shown and described I am not limited thereto since other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads at the ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, and one head being detachably secured to the outer shell and the other head being detachably secured to theinner shell, means for attaching each head to thecorresponding shell comprising a lock plate in engagement with the shell, pins projecting from said plate into said head and a locking plate in said head movable into and out of a position in which it contacts with said pins whereby the head is secured to or released from the shell.

2. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads at the ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, and one head being detachably secured to the outer shell and the other head being detachably secured to the inner shell, means for attaching each head to the corresponding shell comprising a lock plate in engagement with the shell, pins projecting from said plate into said head the outer ends of which pins are notched and a locking plate in said head adapted to enter the notches and secure the head to the shell.

3. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads at the ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, and one head being detachably secured to the outer shell and the other head being detachably secured to the inner shell, said heads each including a cup and a ring surrounding the cup, means for attaching each head to the correspondingshell, comprising a lock plate in engagement with the shell, pins projecting from said plate into the cup of the head through holes therein and a' locking plate in said cup coacting with said pins to secure the head to the shell.

i. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads at the ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, and one head being detachably secured to the outer shell and the other head being detachably secured to the inner shell said heads each including a cup and a ring surrounding the cup, means for attaching each head to the corresponding shell, comprising a lock plate in engagement with the shell, pins projecting from said plate into the cup of the head through holes therein, the ends of the pins within the cup being notched and a locking plate in said cup adapted to enter the notches in the pins and secure the head to the shell.

5. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads at the ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, and one head being ietachably secured to the outer shell and the other head being detachably secured to the inner shell, said heads each including a cup and a ring surrounding the cup, means for attaching each head to the corresponding shell, comprising a lock plate in engagement with the shell, pins projecting from said plate into the cup of the head through holes in the base thereof, and a locking plate in said cup and rotatable into engagement with said pins to secure the head to the shell.

6. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads. at the ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, and one head being detachabiy secured to the outer shell and the other head being detachably secured to the inner shell, said heads each including a cup and a ring surrounding the .cup,,means for attaching each head to, the corresponding shell, comprising a lock plate in engagement with the shell, pins projecting from said plate into the cup of. the

head through holes inthe base thereof, the ends of the pins within the cup being notched and a locking plate I in said cup and rotatable to enter the notches in the pins and secure the head to the shell.

' '7. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads atthe ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, one head being secured to the outer shell and the other head being secured to the innerv shell, each shell terminating in a notchedflangeadjacent the head secured to it; means for attaching each head to the corresponding shell comprising a lock plate in contact with the shell flange and in engagement with the notch therein to prevent relative rotation, pins projecting from said plate into said head and a locking plate movable into and out of a position in which it contacts with said pins whereby the head is secured to or released from the shell.

8. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads at the ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, one head being secured to the outer shell and the other head being secured to the inner shell, each shell terminating in a notched flange adjacent the head secured to it, and each head comprising a cup having holes in the base thereof and a ring surrounding said cup, means for attaching each head to the corresponding shell comprising a lock plate in contact with the shell flange and in engagement with the notch therein to prevent relative rotation, pins projecting from said plate into the cup of the head through the holes in the base, the ends of said pins within the cup being notched and a locking plate in the cup for engaging the notches in the pins and securing the head to the shell.

9. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel andheads at the ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, one head being secured to the outer shell and the other head being secured to the inner shell, each shell terminating in a notched flange adjacent the head secured to it and each head comprising a cup having holes in the base thereof and a ring surrounding said cup, means for attaching each head to the corresponding shell comprising a lock plate in contact with the shell flange and in engagement with the notch therein to prevent relative rotation, pins projecting from said plate into the cup of the head through the holes in the base, the ends of said pins within the cup being notched and alocking spring plate in the cup for engaging the notches in the pins and bearing yieldably against the base of the cup to secure the head to the shell.

10. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads at the end thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, a plate carried by the outer shell by which one head is secured thereto and a plate carried by the inner shell by which the other head is secured thereto, each shell having an access opening in the side which openings are brought into'and out of register by the relative rotation of the shells, means for limiting such rotation of the shells and means supported by the plate carried by one shell for yieldably engaging the other shell at one limit of their travel to hold the shells in such position.

11. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads at the ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, a plate car-- ried by the outer shell by which one head is secured thereto, the other head being secured to the inner shell, each shell having an access opening in the side which openings are brought into and out of register by the relative rotation of the shells, a cup attached to said plate, means on the cup and plate for limiting such rotation of the shells, and means on the cup for yieldably engaging the inner shell at their limit of travel in which the openings are out of register to hold the shells in such position.

12. In a carrier for a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a barrel and heads at the ends thereof, said barrel including an outer and an inner shell telescopically arranged, a plate carried by the outer shell by which one head is secured thereto, the other head being secured to the inner shell, each shell having an access opening in the side, which openings are brought into and out of register by the relative rotation of the shells, a cup attached to said plate, means on the cup and plate for limiting such rotation of the shells and means on the cup for engaging the inner shell at one limit of travel for holding the shells yieldably in such position.

FRED R. TAISEY. 

